“Don’t write a check with your mouth that your ass can’t cash.”

My mom once told me that growing up. Can’t quite remember why. Somebody should probably tell that to Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti, who did a lot of talking all season long just to get demoralized in the first round of the College Football Playoff.

Way back when Cignetti got hired in November 2023 after a successful run with James Madison University, he was asked about how he plans on getting recruits to come to an Indiana program that appeared to be rebuilding.

“Google me,” Cignetti said. “I win.”

Cignetti backed that statement up. He landed starting quarterback Kurtis Rourke in December and running backs Justice Ellison and Ty Son Lawton. 

The season could not have started any better for Cignetti’s Hoosiers, as their unbeaten 10-0 record had the attention of the nation before getting curb stomped 38-15 by Ohio State.

Before his first real test against the Buckeyes, Cignetti said, “Ohio State sucks,” at halftime of an Indiana basketball game. Bulletin board material? Sure seemed that was as Ohio State quarterback Will Howard went viral for “putting out the cig” celebration after thrashing the Hoosiers in Columbus.

That should have been Cignetti’s first lesson: to keep his yap shut. He did not learn.

Indiana bounced back from that loss with a 66-0 rout of the Purdue Boilermakers. Despite Purdue’s hapless 1-11 record, that victory put the wind right back in Cignetti’s sails before their College Football Playoff matchup with Notre Dame. 

“We don’t just beat top 25 teams, we beat the shit out of them.”

That’s what Cignetti actually said on the set of ESPN’s College Game Day just hours before the Hoosiers kicked off with the Fighting Irish. It’s important to note that despite Cignetti’s impressive 11-1 record in his first year coaching Indiana, literally none of those victories came against Top 25 teams.

To make things even more hilarious, No. 5 Notre Dame completely embarrassed Indiana in a game where the Hoosiers looked like they did not belong on that same stage.

It’s a friendly reminder for the new coach of Indiana to just keep his mouth shut. Every time he opened it this year, he paid the price. It’s part of what made Indiana a story for a little while, but when the lights were the brightest, Cignetti’s team wasn’t as bold as his comments to the media.

That’s never a good thing.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Indiana suffered a season-ending 27-17 loss at Notre Dame Friday in the first round of the College Football Playoff.

Here’s everything Indiana defensive lineman James Carpenter and linebackers Aiden Fisher and Jailin Walker said in their postgame press conference.

On Jeremiyah Love’s 98-yard touchdown run… 

Fisher: “Just a misfit on the front seven really. We knew what we were going to get. We played it a little too aggressive. Some guys jumped out of their gaps. I’ll take the fall for that one. We have to play our gaps better and play more disciplined.” 

On his late hit penalty, blocked field goal and emotions in the second half…

Carpenter: “It was disappointing. Obviously I can’t be doing that. It was full speed, kind of bang, bang play. But as a senior leader I can’t be doing that. But this team, we don’t quit. That’s what we’re built on. And, yeah, I mean, we’re going to fight until the end.”

On Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard’s ability to keep plays alive…

Carpenter: “One of our main focuses going into this game was to limit him on the ground. When the play breaks down we know he can get out. He’s super athletic and super fast. It’s a big part of his game. We didn’t do a good enough job of that tonight. You really have to be sound when it comes to that. It’s on the front four, just good lanes, good pass rush lanes, stuff like that. And we just didn’t do a good enough job of that tonight.”

On if Indiana set the foundation for a better future…

Fisher: “Yeah, for sure. You look at the track that Indiana football is on previously before we got here. Then you look now, it’s kind of a full 180. I think we’ve laid a foundation of what Indiana football can be and what it is now, and I expect to be right back here next year.”

On how much of Indiana’s defensive identity can be retained next season when they’re gone…

Walker: “100 percent. That’s the image of the defense being fast, physical, relentless. When me and James are leaving, we still have Aiden Fisher and Mikail Kamara. We still have leaders on this team that’s been with the system. It will still keep going. We’re not letting up.”

Carpenter: “He said it well. It’s kind of our identity of the defense, play fast, get up field, make plays in the backfield. That’s kind of what this defense is built on, and I know Coach Haines will keep that going.”

On what separates Notre Dame and Ohio State from Indiana…

Fisher: “Definitely two great teams. They definitely played a great football game today, as did Ohio State when we played them. I would just say we made a lot of critical errors that was hard to play two teams – playing against yourself and playing against the opposing team. A lot of things I think we could control and we kind of let it affect us a lot. Just looking back on it, just two great teams. I’m not really going to compare them. But they’ll both be making a run here in the playoffs. So good for them. They deserved to win today. They played a better game today than we did.”

On what he’ll remember about this season and what people should remember about this team…

Carpenter: “I could go on and on for that question. Coming into this year, no one thought we’d be here. A lot of doubters, a lot of haters. For us to kind of make this run, get to this point, it’s been surreal. It’s been unbelievable. Something I’ll remember for the rest of my life. These guys up here, the rest of the guys on the team, they’ll be at my wedding, brothers for life. That’s the kind of bond we have. And this program is only going up. Coach Cig is just getting started here. He wins. He’s going to get it done and this program’s on the right track.” 

On why Indiana was successful defensively this year and how they can maintain that…

Fisher: “First, you start with the scheme. We had a really good scheme. Coach Haines puts us in, he puts us in positions to succeed. We’re a fast defense. A lot of people look at our defense, you know, we’re not the biggest guys. But we do have speed, which kind of combats a lot of the things that these offenses do. And then moving forward, I would just say we’ve got to stay disciplined. You look at the two losses we had last year, we’re just getting outleveraged in angles. One guy just trying to do a little too much and he doesn’t need to. We got to this point just being ourselves and playing the way that we play, and in these big games you can’t defer from that, you’ve got to just play your game and just be disciplined in the way you play, and just things like that, just the little things that ultimately amounted to the big things tonight.”

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Marcus Freeman spent his first two seasons as the Notre Dame coach chasing the playoff dream.

This year, he’s living it – at home.

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After closing the regular season on a 10-game winning streak and getting two weeks to prepare for the most meaningful postseason game of his career, Freeman is finally ready to lead the seventh-seeded Fighting Irish against 10th-seeded Indiana on Friday.

“We’ve been in the playoffs since Week 3,” Freeman said, alluding to their postseason hopes following the stunning loss to Northern Illinois. “Every game we play is a version of a playoff game in our minds. We have to continue to understand that you don’t have any more added pressure than you’ve had the previous 10.”

Except the Irish (11-1) know this one is different.

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Notre Dame hasn’t made a national championship run since 1988, its longest title drought since winning the school’s first in 1924. And unlike previous playoffs, the Irish will be playing the first game on campus in College Football Playoff history.

Just how unusual will this environment be?

It’s the first time Notre Dame has hosted a postseason game, the first time Notre Dame Stadium has hosted a Friday night game and the first time since 1990 that a Notre Dame home game has not been telecast by NBC.

Still, the Irish are doing what they can to make this seem like just another football week.

“The hardest thing throughout this whole process has probably been finals here at Notre Dame because that’s no joke,” quarterback Riley Leonard said. “Otherwise, it’s like a couple of bye weeks for us. We handle it the same way. Practice has been the same, the same recipe for success.”

But the stakes are significantly higher in this matchup between the two Indiana schools that have met just once since 1959. Notre Dame won 49-27 in 1991.

No. 9 Indiana (11-1) is the most improbable playoff entrant.

Associated Press Coach of the Year Curt Cignetti engineered an eight-game turnaround in his first season with the Hoosiers, setting a new single-season school record for victories while falling just a tiebreaker short of playing for its first Big Ten title since 1967.

The Hoosiers are scoring 43.3 points, the most of any playoff team, and have one of the FBS’ stingiest defenses, too. And even though Indiana failed its only test against a ranked foe, the Hoosiers believe that loss will help them do what most still believe impossible – reaching the Sugar Bowl for a quarterfinal game against No. 2 seed Georgia.

“It was a tough loss, but I think it was really important for us to have a game like that, to be tested and know what it takes to win these games,” quarterback Kurtis Rourke said, referring to the 38-15 loss at then-No. 2 Ohio State last month. “This is a win or go home kind of setup, so we’re going to have to make sure that we come with our best effort.”

They also may have one key advantage – postseason experience.

Cignetti and many of his assistant coaches were together for FCS and Division II playoff teams, and Cignetti also has that national championship ring from his days as Alabama coach Nick Saban’s recruiting coordinator.

“Well, I am kind of used to this routine,” Cignetti said. “But I don’t think it’s a major change for any of the coaches, to be quite honest with you, that are in the playoff.”

Cross talk

Notre Dame’s defense has been one of the best all season despite a rash of injuries, including two that took out preseason All-Americans.

But one of those, defensive tackled Howard Cross III, is expected to return Friday after missing the final three regular season games. There’s little doubt Cross will be fresh, nearly six weeks after suffering the high ankle sprain. The question is will he be rested or rusty?

“I feel physically, fine,” Cross said. “So I’m just happy, blessed to be able to get on the field.”

Staying ahead

Indiana didn’t just win games this season. It dominated opponents.

Ten of the Hoosiers 11 wins were by 14 or more points and they faced deficits in only three games and only once in the second half. But even if that’s not the same story underneath the Friday night lights, the Hoosiers insist they’re ready for any challenge.

“We know we’re supposed to be here, we know we belong, but we’re always going to have that chip (on our shoulder),” Indiana receiver Elijah Sarratt said. “We remember what everyone was saying during the season and remember what everyone is saying now. We’re going to go down there, focus on us and try to handle business.”

Running down a dream

The most telling matchup Friday will be Notre Dame’s ground game against Indiana’s defense.

The Irish offense has centered primarily around a three-pronged running attack that features Leonard, Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price.

Indiana, meanwhile, leads the nation in fewest yards rushing per game allowed (70.8) and the 2.46 yards per carry allowed is second best in FBS. Even in their loss, Ohio State rushed 29 times for just 115 yards. So the Hoosiers know where they must begin if they hope to advance.

“We’ve got to stop the run,” all-Big Ten linebacker Aiden Fisher said. “That’s something we’re very prideful in here as a defense and something that they are really good on offense. It’s going to be a really good matchup.”

Tailgating

Fans have been waiting a long time for this kind of game, and some of them got a jump start on the fun Friday morning.

Some set up their tailgates as the snow fell early Friday morning in South Bend.

They’ve been partying all day.

In the shadow of Notre Dame stadium, there’s food, fandom and unparalleled excitement.

“I’ve been coming to games here my entire life. My dad went here, and I would say, like, the atmosphere here right now is more electric and more energized than it’s ever been before,” Notre Dame student and Elmhurst resident Kevin Kelley said.

It’s an early Christmas gift for fans of Notre Dame and Indiana, who are there to witness the history-making game.

“Everybody is just 10 out of 10 excited, 10 out of 10, like, it’s amazing, vibes are amazing. I love it,” Notre Dame student Libby Schuster said.

The Kaplans of Deerfield are cheering for the Hoosiers.

“There’s a huge Chicago population of Indiana fans. There’s a huge Chicago population of Notre Dame fans,” IU alumnus from Deerfield Jeffrey Kaplan said.

It’s almost like the Crosstown Classic East.

“My mom’s rooting for Indiana. My dad’s rooting for Notre Dame. I’ve got Notre Dame. My sister’s got Indiana. It is. It just really is,” Notre Dame fan Jack Carretta said.

And for South Bend businesses used to the season being done in November, the game is a financial windfall. Bars and restaurants along Eddy Street are bustling.

At Hammes Notre Dame Bookstore, folks were snapping up merchandise.

“Today, we were getting all the warm gear, and we’re going to come back tomorrow to get all the fun stuff, the stuff that we can’t take into the stadium, the stuff we’re taking home,” Notre Dame alumnus Meg Dunn said.

ABC7 Chicago’s Dionne Miller and Eric Horng contributed to this report.